Hayley Wickenheiser, (born August 12, 1978, Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, Canada), Canadian ice hockey player who is widely considered the greatest female hockey player of all time. A four-time Olympic gold medallist, Wickenheiser is Canada’s all-time leader in international goals (168), assists (211), and points (379). She was also the first woman to score a goal in a men’s professional league.

Early years

Wickenheiser first started playing ice hockey on a backyard rink built by her father. In 1990 she moved with her family to Calgary and then represented Alberta at the 1991 Canada Winter Games in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Participating in a tournament for teenage girls aged 17 and younger, she was not only the youngest player on her team but also the smallest (at 5-feet [1.5-metres] tall). She scored three goals in the tournament, including the game-winning goal in the championship final as Team Alberta won the gold medal. Wickenheiser was named the tournament’s most valuable player (MVP).

The world hockey championships

Wickenheiser played in her first women’s world hockey championship for Team Canada in 1994 at Lake Placid, New York. At age 15, Wickenheiser was still the youngest player on her team. She played three games and posted one assist to help Canada win the gold medal.

At the 1997 world championship in Kitchener, Ontario, 18-year-old Wickenheiser became an offensive force. She led Team Canada in scoring with nine points and notched an assist on the overtime game-winning goal in the championship final as Canada defeated the United States 4–3. Wickenheiser later led Canada to the 1999 and 2000 women’s world hockey championship titles but was unable to attend the 2001 world championship because of a knee injury. In 2005 Team Canada lost the gold-medal game of the women’s world hockey championship to the United States for the first time.

In 2007 Wickenheiser set a Canadian record for most points (14) at a women’s world hockey championship with eight goals and six assists. At the tournament in Winnipeg, Team Canada won its first world championship since 2004 by beating the United States 5–1 in the gold-medal game. Wickenheiser, who took over the captaincy from Cassie Campbell, was the tournament MVP.

Wickenheiser also displayed outstanding leadership at the 2012 women’s world hockey championship. Team Canada won the gold medal by beating the United States 5–4 in overtime, after being defeated by the Americans 9–2 in the preliminary round. She later helped Canada to world championship silver medals in 2013 and 2016.

Wickenheiser was a force at the Olympic Games as well. However, despite Canada’s dominance at the world championship in 1997, the team was not guaranteed an Olympic gold at the Games the following year. At the Nagano 1998 Olympic Winter Games, the United States defeated Canada 3–1 to win the first Olympic women’s hockey tournament. Wickenheiser would have to settle for an Olympic silver medal.

She would not have to wait long for gold, however. At the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Wickenheiser was the tournament’s most valuable player as Team Canada captured its first Olympic gold medal with a 3–2 win over the United States. Wickenheiser was the tournament’s co-leader in goals (seven) and points (ten).

At the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, the expectations were that Canada would need another strong performance from Wickenheiser to beat the Americans. In a major surprise, Sweden upset the United States in the semifinal, setting up an unexpected gold-medal game with Canada. The Canadians were victorious 4–1 in the gold-medal contest with Wickenheiser once again named tournament MVP, leading the event with 12 assists and 17 points.

Wickenheiser won her third gold medal in women’s hockey at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. At the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, Wickenheiser was chosen to be the Canadian flag-bearer in the Opening Ceremonies. In the Olympic tournament, Wickenheiser notched two goals and three assists for five points in five games as Team Canada won its fourth consecutive gold medal.

Other accomplishments

In 2002–03, Wickenheiser played in a Finnish men’s hockey league, scoring two goals and nine assists for HC Salamat. On January 31, 2003, Wickenheiser became the first woman to score a goal in a men’s professional hockey league. She was also an accomplished softball player and was a member of the Canadian national softball team at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.